The Su-35’s outdated radars will negate the Russian aircraft’s “maneuverability” advantage in air combat. Dan Hampton, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel who flew the F-16 and is known by his nickname Two Dogs, is one veteran who expressed this opinion. In a recent interview with The Facts, Hamilton revealed some details from his extensive experience.
Fighter pilots must master both close-range and long-range combat, says Dan Hampton. In the first case, success in combat often depends on the pilot's experience and how well he understands the aircraft he is flying. However, in long-range combat, experience is not enough; what is more important is the aircraft's radar and sensors.
Hamilton asserts that the Su-35’s radar technology is outdated, having been around for 30 years. “This is a problem for the Russians,” he says. The F-16, on the other hand, has an advanced radar, which gives its pilots an advantage in long-range dogfights.
In addition, the former pilot recalled that the F-16's radar can track multiple targets at the same time. Another advantage of the F-16 is its ability to attack a target with different types of missiles.
Russian Su-35 aircraft.
However, some military experts say that Hamilton's claims are not accurate. For example, the Su-35's radar is Ibris-E, which is not 30-year-old technology, the radar was put into operation in 2007. Although not the latest AESA radar, Ibris-E is also capable of tracking multiple targets simultaneously.
According to Russian engineers, the Ibris-E radar can track up to 30 airborne targets at a distance of up to 350 km and can attack 8 targets at the same time. At the same time, the Su-35, like the F-16, can use a variety of weapons, both single and multiple targets.
According to the former American pilot, the maneuverability of the F-16 gives the US aircraft a greater advantage in close combat. According to official data, the F-16 is not more maneuverable than the Su-35, on the contrary, the Su-35 beats the F-16 in this indicator. Besides, Hamilton also believes that Ukrainian pilots are more skillful and flexible than Russian pilots.
The former US pilot's comments have been widely sought after by the media in recent weeks, as Hamilton has stated that he would be willing to fight for Ukraine if allowed. In addition, Hamilton also has quite a bit of command experience with many actual flight hours.
The F-16 is the fighter jet that Ukraine has been asking the US for aid for a long time. Because of this, pilots like Hamilton are increasingly appearing in media headlines when discussing the F-16.
American F-16 aircraft.
At the same time, Ukrainian pilots also regularly argue that their Soviet-era fighters are no match for modern Russian aircraft.
Besides, the Russian government also regularly claims that the Su-35 can handle any Western aircraft and they cannot compete with Russian fighters.
That's just a personal opinion, the actual result of the confrontation between these two fighters is still unclear, only when they are confronted in real situations can we evaluate which aircraft is more effective.
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